A Decade of Winters
by k'torr-ashayam
Summary: "Then she smiles, like it's the first time she's seen the sun after a decade of winters" -Emma Cameron Annah and Catcher have finally made it out of the Dark City, and there is no telling what awaits them next.


"Then she smiles, like it's the first time she's seen the sun after a decade of winters"

-Emma Cameron

Annah and Catcher have finally made it out of the Dark City, and there is no telling what awaits them next.

**Hi Everyone! So these are a series of songfics concerning Annah and Catcher through The Dark and Hollow Places and beyond! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or settings within, and they are the sole property of Carrie Ryan. (If I owned Catcher I would not be writing this, I would be in bed) Sweater Weather is the sole property of The Neighbourhood, and is used without commercial intent. **

**Rated M for Lemons and Violence, Enjoy! **

The snow glances off the window outside the warm security of the tiny cabin above the sea. Catcher awakes to the pale bare expanse of her back, and lifts his fingers to trace the smooth span of one shoulder to the other. His hand ghosting from the protruding ridges of her spine to the edge of the blanket that coats her hips.

_All I am is a man_

_I want the world in my hands_

He loops his hand around her waist and pull her towards him, marveling at the very thought of being here with her, and closing his mouth over her throat to feel the smooth rhythm of her pulse on his lips and warmth of her skin and he presses her to his chest and she stirs.

_I hate the beach_

_But I stand in California_

_With my toes in the sand_

The infection seemed almost insignificant yesterday when she had battled through the subway tunnels to the top of the roller coaster; where he had gathered her, his Annah, against him, and warmed her palms against the rags of his sweater.

_Use the sleeves on my sweater_

_Let's have an adventure_

None of it really seemed to matter now that she back in his arms, and death no longer rasps down her neck. So instead he pulls her closer, and buries his face into the choppy ends of her hair, pulling her prone length towards him, and vowing to face the world again tomorrow.

_Head in the clouds but my gravity's centered  
_

Last night he held her against him in the tiny cabin, no more than a ragged bed and mutely lit lamp. The snow fell outside the window, Annah pushed the coat from his shoulders, and Catcher pulled the soft hat he had given her from her head.

_Touch my neck and I'll touch yours_

_You in those little high waisted shorts_

She pulls at the hem of his shirt, and when it is free she runs her fingers down his chest, making him shiver as her fingers dance over the angry lines of his bite scar. She pulls off her damp clothing and grabs the large quilt that Gabry had placed in the room.

_She knows what I think about_

_And what I think about_

It wraps around their shoulders, cloaking them in the fading twilight that sinks into the bed and creeps from the corner of the room. In that moment is all he can do to not shake as he carefully wraps his arms around her and kisses her among the swathes of fabric.

_One love, two mouths_

_One love, one house_

_No shirt, no blouse_

_Just us, you find out_

His lips run across the scars on her face and brush away the soft strands of her hair. Her breath hitches at the sudden proximity, and she presses her face into his neck, her broken nails tracing lightly across the muscle of his arms.

_Nothing I really wanna tell you about, no_

Catcher brings his mouth down to hers before stopping and pulling away, pushing her away, and in almost a fever she resists, pushing her tongue deep into his mouth and drawing her strong scuffed legs to straddle his hips. She pulls the heat from his skin into her and sweeps her tongue over his collarbone as she relishes in the warmth he provides. She works her way down his body and over his chest, her mouth leaves a trail of fire as it traces the fine line of hair that runs down his stomach.

_Cause it's too cold_

_For you here_

_And now_

Catcher grasps her chin and stills the descent of her mouth down his stomach, "Annah, we can't," he whispers, "I can't," his voice as loud in the quiet as if he had shouted across a cathedral in the dark. Her eyes go hard as she pulls away, kneeling above him, haloed in the dim light of the cabin.

_So let me hold_

_Both your hands in the holes of my sweater_

"You don't want me?" She hides her face behind her hair and withdraws, he can see the humiliation and rejection coursing through her again, bringing the armor of her scars to prominence in the pale light. The cold outside of their cocoon begins to pimple her skin and she shivers in her slim bralette and boy shorts. He reaches out to her, but then lets his arms fall back to rest by his sides.

_And if I may just take your breath away_

_I don't mind if there's not much to say_

"Of course I do, but I…" He trails off, and waits for Annah to looks through her curtain of hair and meet his eyes, "But I can't hurt you. Annah I could kill you, and you would die in my arms, and then I would lose you again." He practically begs her to leave, but can't think of a better place for her than in his arms.

_Sometimes the silence guides your mind_

_To move to a place so far away_

She knows that she is his one true weakness, and his final defeat will come if he loses her. Her eyes are cool pools of sadness, and in their short lives where they have lost almost everything, she has become his one precious possession, the force that holds the broken shards of him together. When he wandered the hordes of the Dark City it was for her sanctuary. "We are drifting on this sea with no shore in site, and do you honestly believe that right at this moment this world we live in could give a damn about any of that? I fell in love with you before I even realized I did, and you pulled me from the grasp of the Dark City and put me back together again. Catcher, tomorrow we could wake up and we might never fall asleep again, so just this once I'm asking if you understand that I would rather risk my life in the safety of your arms than in the swarming hordes that surround us. I love you because you are my life."

_The goosebumps start to race_

_The minute that my left hand meets your waist_

"Annah," she meets his eyes with her own. "I live my life for you, and I won't ever let you go." His arm stretches across the expanse between them and waits for her to come back. When she does, he pull her close, presses a chaste kiss to her forehead, and tucks her head beneath his chin, pulling her small frame close and locking her in his arms. In the surrounding silence he promises to keep her there forever, safe and far away from the desolation of humanity. He runs a hand up her spine, fingers pulling at the clasp of her bra, and she freezes against him before she relaxes, and presses into the palm of his hand. The clasp flicks open and slowly he draws the fabric from her skin, remembering that day when he found her frolicking in the newly fallen snow, how she had bared her heart to him, and how lovely he had found her pale skin when she had pressed his hand against it. His hand covers her heart again, caressing her cold stiffened nipples, and taking the faint whimpers from her mouth into his own.

"Annah, Annah, how could you possibly think that you're not beautiful?"

_And then I watched your face_

"How do you forget that you're broken? I only feel beautiful when I'm with you." Catcher brushes his face along her neck and traces down the smooth line of her stomach, looking up for her nod of approval, and flits his fingers over her warm center. He slowly tug her boy shorts down her legs, and trails his hand lazily up her thigh. He parts her folds and runs a calloused finger over her pulsing clit before sliding two fingers into her as she gasps. Shudders rack her body and her nails dig into his skin. He rub her walls and place soft kisses down her neck, whispering how lovely she is and how together they are not as broken as they were before. She writhes against him and he adds another finger, bringing his thumb hard down onto her clit and circling it roughly, pumping faster as her walls start to close. Her voice is shaky and her breath hot across his face as her heart slows.

_Put my finger on your tongue_

_Cause you love to taste_

He brings his coated fingers up and drags them across her lips and into his mouth, savoring the taste before pressing his mouth against hers. She reaches down to grasp him through the thin shorts and pushes them off his legs. Air rushes through his teeth as her small hand strokes down his length. Catcher's breath comes out in gasps and he reaches down to grasp her hand and kiss each of her fingers before pulling them over her head, leaning into her and shifting his weight to rest between her legs.

_These hearts adore_

_Everyone the other beats hardest for_

Catcher mouths along warm curve og her neck and releases her hands to trail down her sides. She takes his face between her palms and whispers against his lips. "I love you Catcher." His kiss is fierce, but careful, the infection always at the front of his mind.

"Annah, are you sure?" She presses up against him in answer, rolling her hips and making him gasp. "Annah?"

_Inside this place is warm_

_Outside it starts to pour_

"Yes," she breathes and runs her hands up and down his back. He lifts up, careful to not crush her with his weight, and positions himself at her entrance. He pushes into her slowly, and her arms clasp around him, effectively reducing the space between them.

_Coming down_

_One love, two mouths_

_One love, one house_

_No shirt, no blouse_

Annah groans and bites down on the junction between his neck and shoulders, pressing her nails into his back as she tries to relax. Catcher slows and stops above her, shudders racking his body as he waits for her to adjust. He kisses her open mouth and slowly pulls out again as she writhes.

_Just us, you find out_

_Nothing I really want to tell you about_

_No _

Catcher's mouth folds over her shoulder as he moves inside her, and he thinks that we are not all that different from the unconsecrated, always trying to consume each other. Their foreheads press together and in one moment she pushes her hips up to meet his, ripping a growl from his throat. She pushes up again and her broken nails dig into his sides and her feet curl over his calves, shaking from her core and whispering his name. _"Catcher, Catcher, Catcher."_

_Cause it's too cold_

_For you here _

_And now_

_So let me hold_

_Both your hands in the holes of my sweater_

Catcher pushes against her twice more before pulling out and releasing against her leg. He collapses over her, and Annah reaches her hand out to twine their fingers, one hand rasping across the back of his neck.

_It's too cold, it's too cold_

_The hands of my sweater._

Catcher kisses her gently and rises up, hands reach out for him as the frigid air ruffles her skin, and he places a quiet finger to her lips. He drags a soft rag over her skin and curls back against her. Arms encircling each other as they drift to sleep on an ocean of the undead.


End file.
